Toothbrush



A. A. HOWARD TOOTHBRUSH Dec. 29, 1925. 1,567,507

Filed Jan. 12, 1925 INVENTOR &5???

ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 29, 1925.

UNITED STATES ANDREW ANTHONY HOWARD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TOOTHBBUSH.

Application filed January 12, 1925. Serial No. 1,986.

of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Toothbrushes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in tooth brushes, and it consists in the combinations, constructions, and arrangements herein described an claimed.

An object of my Invention is to provide a tooth brush of the character described, in which the bristles are mounted upon a member which may be removed at will, for the purpose'of replacement or sterilizing, from a permanent handle member.

A further object of my invention is to provide a tooth brush of the characterdescribed, in which novel means is em loyed for holding the bristle bearing mem er in place upon the handle.

A further object of my invention is to provide a tooth brush of the character described, that is simple, that is durable, and which is thoroughly practical commercially. Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, and the novel features of the invention will beparticularly pointed out in the appended claim.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming part of this application, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of an embodi-' ment of my invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the device shown in Figure 1, and

Figure 3 is a sectional view along the line 33 of Figure 1.

In carrying out my invention, I make use of a handle member 1 having a hand grip 2 and a head portion 3. The neck 4 of the handle member is slender and curved somewhat, so as to bring the hand grip 2 in a plane parallel with and at a distance from the plane of the head portion 3.

The head portion 3 is recessed, as shown at 5, the under sidethereof, and the side walls 6 of. the recess inclined apart from one another in such a manner as to cause the width of .the recess to Joe greater at the innermost end than at the mouth thereof. The head member 3 is therefore, similar as to the recess to one member of a dovetail joint.

The recess 5 extends up into the neck portion 4 of the handle member as shown at 7 thus forming a stop member, the functions of which will be hereinafter explained.

A bristle bearing member 8 fashioned to slide into the recess 5 from that end of the recess adjacent the neck 4, is rovided and is constructed of rubber bakellte. Bristles 9 are set in this member and are similar to the ordinary type of bristles employed in tooth brushes.

The bristle bearing member 8 has a cross sectional contour as shown in Figure 3, similar to a'dovetail member and therefore is held against unintentional dislod ment from the recess 5 except for longitu inal movement in one direction.

Means for locking the member 8 against longitudinal movement relative to the recess is provided in a thin flexible portion 10 extending rearwardly of the bristle bearing member 8. This portion 10 is adapted to yieldingly lie in engagement with a stop 7, heretofore described.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, the operation thereof may be readily understood. In order to remove the bristle bearing member 8, the person using the device grips the flexible portion 10 and bends that portion away from the neck 4 as shown in dotted lines in Figure 1, which permits the entire member 8 to move longitudinally toward the hand grip 2 of th; handle 1 (see dotted lines in Figure 1 The bristle member 8 may then be steril .ized, or if worn out discarded and a new one replaced in the recess 5 of the head portion 3.

The member 8, with its bristles 9, will be held securely against movement in any direction during use of the device, which may be quickly and easily removed as described. 7

One of the most important advantages of my improved tooth brush construction is that I have provided not only economy in construction, but economy to the user.

\Vhen the bristles become worn it is only neccssary to replace the worn member with a fresh member, which can be provided at cost much less than an entire tooth brush.

I claim: i A tooth brush of the'character described comprising a handle member and a head portion, said handle member being formed with a neck portion intermediate the head and the body of the handle, a replaceable bristle bearing member of resilient material having a rearwardly extending relatively thin flexible portion, said head member having a dovetailed recess therein terminating at its lowermost end in a neck portion, said neelzr'portion beyond the termination of the dovetailed recess being recessed throughout 10 its width providing a shoulder, whereby der to lock said bristle bearing member in 15 said dovetailed recess, and whereby the bristle bearing member may be removed by bending said flexible portion out of engagement with the shoulder.

ANDREW ANTHONY HOWARD. 

